Trump removes Bannon from Security Council

US President Donald Trump has removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council, reversing an earlier, controversial decision to give Bannon access to the group's high-level meetings.

A new memorandum about the council's composition was published Wednesday in the Federal Register. The memo no longer lists the chief strategist as a member of the Principals Committee, a group of high-ranking officials who meet to discuss pressing national security priorities.

A senior White House official said that Bannon was initially placed on the National Security Council after Trump's inauguration as a measure to ensure implementation of the president's vision, including efforts to downsize and streamline operations at the NSC.

Bannon's addition to the NSC sparked criticism that it was inappropriate for the political adviser to play a role in national security matters.

Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was heading the NSC at the time, but the official said Bannon's role had nothing to do with the troubles facing Flynn, who was asked to resign in early February for misleading the administration about his communications with Russian officials.

A senior administration official said that Flynn reluctantly agreed to have Bannon join the NSC.

Flynn's replacement, Lieutenant General HR McMaster, was allowed to reorganise the NSC as he saw fit.

McMaster immediately expressed a desire to run a less hierarchical organisation and be more accessible to his staff.

As a participant of the Principals Committee, Bannon would have had the authority to call a vote if the president's vision for the NSC was not being implemented. The committee, which includes top officials from various government agencies, meets regularly to address important policy issues.

One of the officials said Bannon's removal from the NSC was not a reflection of any change in his standing as one of Trump's closest advisers. Bannon will maintain his security clearance as is standard for most top West Wing officials.